A TikToker’s video went viral after he claimed that a thrift store employee refused to serve him.
User Oz (@tysoswag), a TikToker who specializes in thrift store shopping, filmed the video after he was reportedly profiled by a thrift store cashier. The video has been viewed over 242,000 times and has sparked debate from users.
@tysoswag bruh ts crazyyyy #fashion #thrifting ♬ original sound – oz
Oz begins his video while sitting in his car: “Y’all, this better not happen again, bro. Every day, I get a new crazy thrift store story, but this one is the craziest.” He continues, “I pick up this Polo jacket priced at $22 … and I go to check out.”
At checkout, he is shocked by the cashier’s demeanor. “She looked like she was in a bad mood when I went up there. When I walked in, she was fine. She was talking to other people. I walk up and she’s just looking at me. So I was like, ‘Oh are you open?’ This is the only cashier, by the way,” Oz explains.
“She’s like, ‘I can’t check you out.’ I was confused and walked away,” Oz continues, explaining that the cashier’s expression and comments didn’t add up. As a new line builds and she begins checking out customers, Oz wonders why the woman won’t check him out.
“Maybe something’s wrong with the register … Maybe she saw me switch tags, maybe that’s the reason why she won’t check me out … So she checks out like three people and I’m up now. Same thing happens, brah, she just stares at me … At this point I’m kinda getting pissed ‘cause I’ve been in the store trying to checkout for 10 [to] 15 mins … and she’s not checking me out.”
Angry and confused by the cashier’s attitude, Oz gathered up his purchases from the thrift store and headed for the door.
“So I literally start walking out the door with a whole bunch of clothes on me with the hangers on and everything,” Oz narrates.
According to the video, the woman continued to stare blankly at him and asked him: “Where do you think you’re going?”
“You won’t check me out. I don’t know what to do. You’re not telling me anything,” he claims he said.
He continues, “She’s like, ‘I don’t check out people who look like you.’”
Oz pauses for a moment before continuing his story: “Brah, I have never experienced anything like this. Y’all don’t know how mad I was. First, I wait for 20 minutes and then she just says that.”
At this point, Oz’s story takes an unexpected turn: “I knock her ass out. On the f*cking floor right now. No one else was in the store but her and me…”
The video suddenly cuts to Oz saying: “Just kidding.”
Many users were horrified by the cashier’s actions and demanded to know the name of the thrift store. Others were sympathetic to his experience.
“I GASPEDDDDDDDDDD. NO. Yea, I’d immediately start stealing everything LOL,” one said.
“That’s terrible! I am so sorry that happened. Tell the manager that she needs [to be] fired!!” a second added.
“Put the store addy so we can give it bad reviews,” a third replied, asking the creator to name the thrift store.
“It’s not even safe for the Islanders bruh, wtf? What’s the store’s name and location?” a fourth asked.
Other users were confused by the story, and wondered whether the entire thing was fake.
“Just kidding about knockin’ her ass out or just kidding about the whole storytime? Lmao,” one asked.
“Wait, I’m confused now [because you] said, ‘Just kidding,’ so is the story fake?” a second wondered.
“Wtf I don’t understand. So [you’re] just lying [about] racism for thrift clout? That ain’t right, I know the economy got resellers broke but come on,” another admonished.
“I’m reporting you to the cops for wasting my f*cking time,” added a fourth.
“Tf [you] mean ‘kidding’ like I didn’t spend 2 mins and 32 seconds out [of] my day [listening] to [your] whole story,” another replied.
Shoppers facing discrimination is very much an issue in the U.S. In August 2022, a customer claimed a Target employee racially profiled her and accused her of stealing. A recent study has also shown how some employees deviate in their behavior towards customers of different races. Though it is important to always stand up against discrimination of any form, making light of these serious situations can also be harmful.
The Daily Dot reached out to Oz for further information about what really happened at the thrift store.
